What do you like about Philadelphia more than Chicago or Boston? (Reading: 2015, neighborhoods)

[Tiger Beer]

What do you like about Philadelphia more than Chicago or Boston?

I'm basically referring to the URBAN DENSITY thread, where it seems well-established that NYC is top most densest city. Than it was a huge mix/exchange about #2-#6 which basically included San Francisco, Washington DC, Philadelphia, Chicago and Boston.

As DC is so unique as the Nation's Capital (either that really attracts someone or it really doesn't), and SF is so far removed entirely on the other Coast.

I thought it would be interesting to compare with Chicago and Boston and Philadelphia. They all have density, all large cities, all have their historical things to see, etc.

What do you like about Philadelphia more than Boston or Chicago? Why?

For me, weather takes into a big account. Seems like Philadelphia winters don't necessarily drive people out of Philly, like Chicago or Boston winters might for some of their residents. Additionally, at least compared to Boston, the cost of living in Philadelphia is significantly cheaper. I'm not sure how it compares with Chicago.

I'm also a personal big fan of philly cheesesteaks and pretzels....and don't care at all about chicago-style pizza (much prefer the thin crusts). Boston and clam chowder is good, but nothing I'd personally crave much of.

How about the rest of you?

[kidphilly]

Wow - Three of my favorite cities in the US

Plain and simple to me on this (though there are aspects of either Chicago (on the whole its bigger and offers more in the city) or Boston (cleaner more polished less neagtive) I like better))


Compared to Boston, Philly to me has more edge and more energy

Compared to Chicago, Philly to me is more east coast and feels more neighborhood connected

Chicago no matter how I slice it still screams midwestern, I grew up on the EC (mostly Philly) so that felt/feels different.

That said Chicago is a city that I have always wished I have/had always lived at least a year in and truly love the place and may be my 3rd or 4th (Philly and NYC 1/2 or 2/1) and Chicago/SF are 3/4 for me personally. Boston is actually next (then LA/DC for me personally)

[RightonWalnut]

For me, Philadelphia is smaller and more walkable than Chicago. It also seems to have better neighborhoods outside of the downtown area. The weather is MUCH better in Philadelphia and Philadelphia is closer to an actual beach!

Philadelphia and Boston: Philadelphia is bigger, and just big enough for my liking, not too big like Chicago. It also have much better food than Boston IMO. Philadelphia is MUCH more down to Earth and more Blue Collar and real. You know people work hard here. It is a bit grittier and I like that. Philadelphia has soul. Boston always felt so polished to me. Polished up for tourists.

All in all, I love all three cities and I think they are three of the most comparable cities in the U.S.

Chicago is essentially a larger Philadelphia and Philadelphia is a larger Boston.

[rotodome]

IMO Chicago has great neighborhoods outside of the immediate center. It has some of the same weirdness/wildness that I think make Philly cool. The bigness has pluses and minuses. If it weren't (from my perspective) so isolated in the midwest, I might prefer it to Philly, honestly.

I think Boston & Philly feel pretty similar in size. I always said that I hoped Philly didn't get too gentrified, or it would lose its flavor and turn into a clone of Boston. But maybe that's not fair.

[PhillyViaBoston]

Boston vs Philly, off the top of my head...

Boston is cleaner and safer, and it's harder to accidentally wander into the badlands in Boston. Boston has a better subway system. Boston doesn't suffer or have an inferiority complex from comparisons of nearby large cities (NY, DC, Baltimore, etc) since there aren't any. The Boston Public Garden is larger & nicer than Rittenhouse Square. The Charles River is a better place to hang out than the Schuylkill or Delaware River. Boston sports teams and their fans are better and less obnoxious than Philly's (really). Cape Cod beaches are a lot nicer than New Jersey beaches (really). Shopping along Newbury St is better than along Walnut Street. Faneuil Hall is better than Reading Terminal Market, though annoyingly more touristy. There is no city income tax in Boston. Perhaps because of the huge number of colleges, Boston seems more transient than Philly, and doesn't view "outsiders" with as much skepticism. The Boston dialect doesn't add the word "at" unnecessarily to the end of sentences. The summer weather in Boston is better than in Philly.

Philly has a better regional rail system. Philly is far more diverse, both racially & economically. Philly isn't always trying to be "intellectual." Growing up in Philly puts you in a club that is impossible to enter otherwise. Center City has better restaurants than Boston proper. Philly has bars suitable for various age groups, whereas Boston caters to "young/college" and then "after work" with little else. The Please Touch Museum is better than the Boston Children's Museum. Philly's historic sites are centralized (Independence Mall area) for easy viewing, and Boston's Freedom Trail takes a more effort. You can get more direct flights from PHL than BOS, but there is less chance you'll be on time. Philadelphia has Wawa and Swiss Farms, nothing like either in Boston. Philly is easier to navigate in a car if you don't know exactly where you're going. Philadelphians pronounce Rs in words. The winter weather in Philly is better than Boston.

[RightonWalnut]

Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston

Boston vs Philly, off the top of my head...

Boston is cleaner and safer, and it's harder to accidentally wander into the badlands in Boston. Boston has a better subway system. Boston doesn't suffer or have an inferiority complex from comparisons of nearby large cities (NY, DC, Baltimore, etc) since there aren't any. The Boston Public Garden is larger & nicer than Rittenhouse Square. The Charles River is a better place to hang out than the Schuylkill or Delaware River. Boston sports teams and their fans are better and less obnoxious than Philly's (really). Cape Cod beaches are a lot nicer than New Jersey beaches (really). Shopping along Newbury St is better than along Walnut Street. Faneuil Hall is better than Reading Terminal Market, though annoyingly more touristy. There is no city income tax in Boston. Perhaps because of the huge number of colleges, Boston seems more transient than Philly, and doesn't view "outsiders" with as much skepticism. The Boston dialect doesn't add the word "at" unnecessarily to the end of sentences. The summer weather in Boston is better than in Philly.

-Boston has a better subway system, but Philadelphia has a better commuter rail system.

-Philadelphia does not suffer from an inferiority complex to DC or Baltimore... just NYC.

-Boston Public Garden or Boston Common is certainly bigger and nicer than Rittenhouse Square, but Fairmount Park is MUCH larger than Boston Common/Boston Public Garden and the two are definitely comparable.

-The Charles River is much better... Schuylkill and Delaware are certainly improving though and that is something to be commemorated.

-IDK if Boston fans are better or more obnoxious in anyway.. they are definitely about the same. If Boston fans are any better at all, it is probably because Boston teams win more.

-Cape Cod beaches are better than Jersey beaches for the most part. There are still some awesome Jersey shore towns like Cape May, LBI, Wildwood, Seaside, Avalon, etc. etc.

-Newbury Street is better than Walnut Street... however, Boston has no answer to King of Prussia Mall.

-Faneuil Hall is in no way better than Reading Terminal. The food in Reading Terminal is MUCH better.

-Yeah the city wage tax in Philadelphia sucks... it is slowly being phased out however. I think it is only supposed to be 1% by 2015.

-Philadelphia has more colleges and more college students both within in the city and surrounding area.
America's Leading College Towns - Arts & Lifestyle - The Atlantic Cities

-Boston is certainly cleaner... and Boston is a more European influenced city. Philadelphia is strictly American.

[rotodome]

Both Boston & Philly were English colonial cities, and both were strongly influenced by 17th century British Architectural and Planning trends, so I think that one's s a wash.

[scosm]

Originally Posted by PhillyViaBoston

Boston is cleaner and safer, and it's harder to accidentally wander into the badlands in Boston. Boston has a better subway system. Boston doesn't suffer or have an inferiority complex from comparisons of nearby large cities (NY, DC, Baltimore, etc) since there aren't any. The Boston Public Garden is larger & nicer than Rittenhouse Square. The Charles River is a better place to hang out than the Schuylkill or Delaware River. Boston sports teams and their fans are better and less obnoxious than Philly's (really). Cape Cod beaches are a lot nicer than New Jersey beaches (really). Shopping along Newbury St is better than along Walnut Street. Faneuil Hall is better than Reading Terminal Market, though annoyingly more touristy. There is no city income tax in Boston. Perhaps because of the huge number of colleges, Boston seems more transient than Philly, and doesn't view "outsiders" with as much skepticism. The Boston dialect doesn't add the word "at" unnecessarily to the end of sentences. The summer weather in Boston is better than in Philly.

I can see much of this, but no way is Faneuil Hall better than Reading Terminal Market and no way are Boston sports fans less obnoxious than Philly fans. Obnoxious in different ways perhaps.

[Craziaskowboi]

As an outsider, I think Boston and Philadelphia sports fans are equally annoying. The difference is in the ways that they're annoying. Boston sports fans are arrogant pricks, and Philadelphia sports fans are bitter.

[MikeNigh]

During our visit to Boston the thing that struck me most that would make it so I couldn't live there was that the people we're eerily quiet. It was like I was in a movie and I was about to find out the whole town was drugged or body snatched. We were in Faneuil Hall and there were a lot of people in the eating area but still all you could hear were whispers... Especially after living a few years in Orlando there needs to be some life in the people and Philly has a lot of it.